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The 2060 Project: Integrated Energy Pathways for British Columbia and Canada

The 2060 Project explores the costs and benefits of a range of electrical grid integration options for Canada, initially between British Columbia and Alberta, but eventually nation-wide and into western North America. Grid integration has been hailed as an effective means to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if one region with abundant “clean” renewable electricity supply can displace a heavy emitter (such as coal-fired electricity) in a neighbouring jurisdiction.

Researchers will look at how expanded BC-AB grid interconnections would influence costs, reliability and emissions, taking into account expected changes to hydrology and dam water supplies 50 years from now due to climate change. Further work will investigate the impact of large-scale energy systems across Canada under various carbon policies and global growth scenarios, as well as greater integration into the Western Interconnect. Integration also has the potential to expand consumer access to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass.

The 2060 Project is hosted at the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria (IESVic) and is funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. The research team is led by Dr. Rowe and includes Dr. Peter Wild (Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Director, IESVic), and Dr. Ned Djilali (Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Canada Research Chair, Advanced Energy Systems Design and Computational Modelling).

For detailed information about the approach, modelling tools, and methods, please visit the 2060 Project website.